Poverty forum to look at better ‘rural’ future

The Friday, November 18, Sustainable Dundas Community Forum to be held at the Christian Reformed Church in Williamsburg is fast approaching.

The forum will provide the community the opportunity to add its voice to the initiative to create a better future for our rural communities.

The forum is sponsored by the House of Lazarus, Linking Hands Project and local municipal councils. Social service agencies will be at the table, along with representatives from local churches concerned about increasing poverty in rural Dundas.

Local business owners, members of service clubs or community organizations, and concerned residents, are all invited to attend this very important forum.

The Forum will take place on Friday, November 18 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Christian Reformed Church in Williamsburg. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m.

Registration forms are available at the Township offices in North Dundas and South Dundas and from the House of Lazarus, or online from linkinghandsdundas@gmail.com. Call 613-989-3830 for more information.

The House of Lazarus Linking Hands Project is sponsoring the Community Forum in Dundas County in partnership with municipal councils, local churches, social service agencies, businesses, and community groups to develop some community-based sustainable strategies to make our communities more resilient to increasing rural poverty,” says Nanda Wubs who is a co-chair of Linking Hands with Pauline Pratt.

“Working groups created at the Forum will begin some community projects to address the specific rural issues and gaps in service we are facing in Dundas County.”

Some areas of concern are: economic and entrepreneurial development and training; transportation and access to jobs and services; access to nutritious and local food; geared-to-income housing for families; emergency shelter; literacy, including financial and digital literacy; community awareness of and access to services, community health and wellness.

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The South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services was kept very busy this past weekend answering to motor vehicle collisions on and off Highway 401.

According to chief Chris McDonough, “we had a two vehicle MVC (motor vehicle collision) on Friday morning (May 18th) on the 401 with no injuries.”

On Sunday, May 20th, he reported a “vehicle fire on the 401 about 3 a.m.” and then on Sunday afternoon there was a “motorcycle on the on-ramp to Morrisburg with minor injuries.”

On Monday, May 21st, in the afternoon, “we had a serious MVC rollover on the 401 west of Morrisburg. One patient was airlifted with serious injuries and four others were transported by land ambulance.”

“We also had a tractor fire on Carman Road at the same time, north of Iroquois. The tractor was fully engulfed upon arrival. There were no injuries.”

Sheds, located right next to a Brinston Road home, were completely destroyed by fire February 21.

Quick action by firefighters who arrived on scene at 10:22 p.m., kept the fire from spreading to the house.

“Firefighters made an aggressive attack and managed to control the fire before any significant damage was made to the adjacent home,” said Chris McDonough, fire chief for South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services.

When firefighters from the Iroquois Fire Station arrived on scene the two sheds were fully involved and flames were exposed to the house, reported McDonough.

“It was an excellent save for us and the homeowner,” he said.

An additional tanker from the Morrisburg station was also called to the scene.

The fire is thought to have been caused by a wood stove in one of the two sheds.

Damage is estimated at about $18,000; $10,000 for the buildings and $8,000 for contents.

Health and wellness for everybody is the topic of the much anticipated “It’s All About “ME” Health and Wellness Fair coming up at the Winchester Arena on Wednesday, April 30 from 2-6 p.m.

Presented by the Dundas Interagency there is no admission charge for the Health and Wellness Fair.

The Dundas Interagency is a local group comprised of various agencies representing North and South Dundas.

Each year the Dundas Interagency plans a community event to showcase all that is available in Dundas County, and the Interagency is especially pleased this year to be offering a Health and Wellness Fair that’s focused on “It’s All About Me”.

Too often caregivers of all kinds constantly look after others without stopping to care for themselves. This day is about celebrating the intrinsic value in all of us.

Over 40 exhibitors will be at the “It’s All About Me” Health and Wellness Fair on April 30th.

There will be a great selection of local business and services covering health, wellness, fitness, entertainment and much more. There will be demonstrations on food and food sources; exercise, yoga, dance; community resources on health, education, community building; arts and culture to name a few.

Residents from throughout the Dundas community (North and South) are invited to come out and see what Dundas County has to offer and enjoy a variety of presentations and explore the many opportunities available.

Demonstrations are happening throughout the day beginning at 2:15 p.m. In addition, each exhibitor will have a display and be happy to discuss their product or service.

The mission of the Dundas County Interagency Committee is to provide a forum where individuals and organizations serving the residents of Dundas County can network for the benefit of the general population and to promote awareness of community services.

The initiative to promote networking began in the early 1980’s at a brown bag lunch meeting, where community workers from various agencies could share information.

In the early 1990’s, a number of interested individuals representing various agencies sat down together to plan a course of action. From a survey, quarterly meetings were established, which included time for networking and sharing information and, of course, lunch.

In 2005, representatives from several agencies serving Dundas County agreed to meet once or twice a year to share information about services available, participate in educational workshops, get to know new staff members and ensure that the community is well informed on what the agencies can provide